Tim Arnold moved to Ash­ford in 1997 af­ter start­ing work at the for­mer Po­lice Train­ing Cen­tre in Ken­ning­ton. He now works at Can­ter­bury Christchurch Univer­sity

What is the best thing about the town? Its cen­tral po­si­tion in Kent, its links to Lon­don and Europe, and the ex­pan­sion and op­por­tu­ni­ties that have come with that in the past 10 years. What would you say to en­cour­age some­one to visit? Come and see the great ex­per­i­ment in shared space around the town cen­tre. It’s cer­tainly off the wall, even if it isn’t pop­u­lar with the lo­cals. There is great shop­ping at the De­signer Out­let and plenty of places to eat and even grab a film. What are your favourite shops, bars and restau­rants? The County Ho­tel is my favourite pub, and I like the range of stores at the De­signer Out­let. What makes Ash­ford stand out from other towns? We have an in­ter­na­tional sta­tion, high-speed trains to Lon­don, a mul­ti­plex, a John Lewis, and an ex­pand­ing De­signer Out­let. What has changed about Ash­ford most over the years? I moved here in 1997 and the town has dou­bled in size in that time. There’s cer­tainly no lack of em­ploy­ment and op­por­tu­nity in Ash­ford. Even if you com­mute to Lon­don, it’s a bet­ter quicker jour­ney than from places like Ton­bridge or Sevenoaks. Where is your favourite place? Cineworld What needs im­prov­ing? There needs to be a strat­egy around the town cen­tre. We need cheaper rents and schemes to en­cour­age lo­cal small busi­nesses. The town also needs a proper the­atre/con­cert venue. Could you see your­self liv­ing here for the rest of your life? Yes. I can’t see a bet­ter place to bring up a fam­ily. Do you feel proud to live in Ash­ford? Yes. Those that call it Trash­ford should take a trip to Folke­stone, Rams­gate or Dover.

Would you like to take part in My Ash­ford? Please write to Ken­tish Ex­press, 34-36 North Street, Ash­ford, TN24 8JR or email ken­tish­ex­press@ thek­m­group.co.uk